


Bee Stings, Break ups and Zombies

by misfitmonarchy



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Breakup, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Stiles and Malia Breakup, Zombie jokes, post 3b, sterek but like later, the nogitsune didn't happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-01 10:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15140813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misfitmonarchy/pseuds/misfitmonarchy
Summary: Stiles decides to end his relationship with Malia, they both try to cope with that while something is messing with the wildlife in the preserve. Derek is worried about how Stiles views his position in the pack. Everyone is on edge because the last time nature started going haywire, Jennifer Blake had been in town.Or; in which Beacon Hills turns into 'Zombieland' featuring bambi and his furry friends and the pack tries to help.





	1. Cover Page

**Author's Note:**

> This started off as a writing exercise trying to work around some writers block I've had. I will say that right now there isn't a particular outline for this, so I don't know where it will go from here but I do promise there is going to be Sterek in it ;)
> 
>  


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malia and Stiles separate. Something is messing with the preserve.

“I don’t understand.” She says with an unsteady tone. Stiles swallows down the guilt rising in his throat.

“Malia…”

“But you said you loved me!”

“And I do. God I do, Malia. I just- it’s not- I don’t love you how you need me to.”

“How do you know that? I don’t understand!”

“You do understand. We’ve both been dancing around this for months.”

“Stiles..”

“No- let me- just let me get this out. You need someone who can understand your needs, someone who can be okay with chaining you up on the full moon every month. Someone who can keep up with your animalistic needs. Someone who can keep up with your roughness and I-” His voice cracked. “I’m only human, Malia.”

“Don’t. Don’t say that.” This is the first time Stiles has truly seen Malia cry, and that hurts the most out of this conversation; seeing the faint trails of tears on her cheeks. He just hopes that while ending their romantic relationship she won’t sever all ties.

“We both know it’s true. You need another were-something that can relate to you better than I can.” A nervous hand pulls through his already messed up hair. Outside is the faint sound of a car pulling up makes Malia glance to the window for a split second but not before flashing her eyes at Stiles for what he said. 

“I- Stiles I don’t want this.” She says, as if he can’t see the heartbreak clear as day on her face. 

“I’m sorry, Malia. But I can’t keep going on knowing I’m just a placeholder… It’s not healthy for either of us. You deserve someone who understands you more than I ever will be able to.” 

“I never thought of you as- I- Stiles please.” He has to look away when he hears her tone, feeling his throat close up. Malia takes another step to him where he’s been sitting on the bed. “I love you, Stiles.” She whispers now, like she knows that anything louder is going to make him break. 

He ducks his head down and stares resolutely at his carpet. It’s been marred over the years from random stains and klutzy teenagers. In this particular spot he can see where it looks like black ink has been spilled there, like a pen exploded; but Stiles knows better. That’s black blood from one of their many near-death encounters with wolfsbane. 

“Stiles. Don’t do this.” She begs again. Malia is still stood where she had taken a step closer, still wearing her school bag that is now clutched in her hands. He takes a moment to appreciate she isn’t fully wolfed out because she’s been still working on that control for a while. 

“I love you.” He says softly and apologetically, not quite meeting her eye but rising up off the mattress to match her height. “I love you Malia, I’ll always love you.” 

“Then why-”

“Malia. Please.” The words were getting harder to get out and all he truly wanted now was to be alone. He hoped whoever it was that was waiting outside, as he hadn’t heard his dad come inside and the car hadn’t left; wasn’t eavesdropping. Yet on the other hand, they had to be since that was really the only reason they hadn’t come in or left yet. 

“I… Okay.” Finally she backs away from him. The hurt is clear on her face and it makes Stiles feel nauseous knowing he did that. He put that look on her face, furrowed brow, downturned lips and watery eyes. He looks back to the carpet again. It’s much better to look at instead of that look which is already burning itself to memory. “Goodbye, Stiles.”

He expects her to just leave, and almost flinches when he feels her lips pressing onto his cheek one last, feather-light time. The tears are already falling before she even leaves his bedroom. 

Stiles falls back onto his mattress, rubbing a clammy palm over his wet cheeks. When the front door slams shut he can’t help the flinch he makes. It sounded pretty loud and he has a feeling it might need a bit of fixing but he doesn’t plan on moving to check it right now. 

Knowing that you have to end a relationship and actually doing it are two very different things. Stiles didn't expect it to be true but it was. He’d noticed it around two months ago how he and Malia were more clinging to each other for need of a warm body than for each other. He loved her, still did. And yet, something about it wasn’t quite right. 

She was always frustrated when he couldn’t immediately pick up on things that someone like Scott would. He would get jealous over things she couldn’t help like scenting the others in the pack, sitting on other people’s laps. It was ridiculous. And when it came down to sex, it just felt weird. Unnatural. Like they were both trying way too hard to make it good and it just felt awkward all the time. 

She deserved better. Stiles loved her, and because he did he let her go. 

“Hey.” The voice in his doorway was gentle and hesitant. He’d fully expected it to be Scott to be standing there, hat in hand and awkward from overhearing the private conversation. He hadn’t, however; expected it to be Derek. 

Derek, who always seemed to be too broody for any other emotions, currently had the look of a kid who walked in on his parents talking about divorce. Which was ridiculous because for starters, Derek was older than him by six years. 

Stiles rubbed his face again before letting out a heavy breath. “Hey, big guy.” If his voice was a bit thready Derek didn’t say anything and Stiles sure as hell wasn’t about to point it out.  
“I was going to ask for a hand with something...” He started but didn’t continue, leaving the statement open ended. Honestly, Stiles was impressed Derek had even come in after probably hearing all of that. Kudos for not running away, though the wolf really seemed to be reconsidering it now that he was here. 

“Sure thing.” A distraction was actually the best for now. The last thing he needed to focus on was that hurt look on Malia’s face. 

Derek watched him carefully and it made him feel like he was being studied by a predator. Well- heh. Technically he was. He moved from the bed to his desk in attempt to satisfy his need to move around and dispel the jitters. 

“Are you going to tell me what you wanted to ask? Or do i get to guess? Hmm… Flying monkeys have come to Beacon Hills and we need to find the wicked witch? Isaac fell down a hole and into wonderland and is running from and evil queen?” That last one made Derek’s lips twitch in what he suspected was the beginnings of a smile but it was gone as fast as it came. 

“No. Something is messing with the nature in the preserve.”

“Okay…” Stiles drags out the word in hopes of prompting Derek into giving more details. Knowing he’d heard what Malia and he had been talking about earlier wasn’t helping the anxious nerves right now. Of all the people he’d thought would be awkward about a break up he hadn’t thought Derek would be one. Hell, he’d been the poster-boy for being single since Jennifer. 

Derek sighed loudly, casting a glance around the always untidy-but-organized chaos that was Stiles’ bedroom for a moment before looking back at him. “Something is killing the plant-life and resurrecting.. Things.”

“Things? Wait-” Stiles finally looks up into Derek’s face and sees him wearing that familiar sourface. It actually makes him feel a bit better knowing this as the ‘there’s something supernatural happening i don’t like it’ frown instead of something that might have to with Stiles’ love life. “Zombies?” There was absolutely no glee in the question. None. Squat. Okay, maybe a little. 

Zombies, man. 

“Not zombies, stiles. Wildlife are being resurrecting and are acting weird.” 

“Resurrected derek. As in, zombies. Zombie deer are acting weird and you want help to see if zombie deer can start the zombie apocalypse because zombies, other than your zombie uncle are-”

“Stop saying zombies!” He snapped in annoyance but it only made Stiles smirk for a moment. 

“Right. So the preserve is reenacting ‘Night of the Living Dead’.” Derek rolled his eyes as Stiles turned in his chair. There was a silence that followed though, where they were probably thinking along the same thing. 

The last time someone had been messing with animals and nature Jennifer Blake had nearly killed everyone. A heaviness settled in his stomach that made his break up seem like a distant thought for the moment. They had work to do.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bambi makes a guest appearance

Lydia had just arrived at the vet where the rest of the pack was waiting for her, the tell tale sound of her click-clacking heels alerted the wolves the moment she opened the door. Deaton waved her into the back room where Scott, Stiles, Derek, Malia, Isaac, and Cora had gathered around one of the sterile steel tables.

Without a words she marched in, forcing Stiles to stagger out of the way when she didn’t stop. She looked as impossibly perfect as always no matter what situation they found themselves in. From her hair to her cream colored Kate Spade heels, Lydia didn’t look like she felt even a little harried about their current zombie problem.

“Hey-” Stiles started but was silenced with a glare that gave him the sinking feeling that she knew already about the break up that hadn’t really had enough time to process yet. Stiles had been mostly focused on the zombies Derek had told him about three hours ago.

Stiles ducked his head down to avoid the questioning look Scott shot him over the table as there was a loud clatter onto the table top. Lydia had opened the bag formerly hanging on her shoulder and pulled out a large tome, three notebooks and a series of pens. “Uh.. What’s all this?”   
  
“What does it look like? Research, Scott. Dead things are kinda my thing now, and as someone who has actually helped someone return from the dead, I figured I should probably offer up what I already know. Don’t you?” Scott opened to say something but she just flipped her hair over her shoulder and powered on. Her tone was sharp enough to cut as she looked to Stiles again. He hand stepped back from her where she stood, unintentionally backing against the person behind him

Apparently Isaac found it a bit amusing that Stiles would choose him over Lydia Martin anyday. He clearly didn’t have much experience with Lydia and her bad side.

“Stiles.” She said scathingly and he couldn’t help but bounce his eyes away from her sharp look to Malia who was pointedly investigating the pens while Derek and Cora busied themselves with the tome. It was dusty and purple, adorned with what was probably once very beautiful fillory but now was rusted and brittle. “Do you have anything to add to what I already have? This is a book from my grandmothers family that I found when going through her things, it’s mostly about banshees, though. Are we dealing with actual undead creatures or do we think someone is bringing them back for another reason?”

He floundered a bit. To be honest they hadn’t found much online. But that was more due to having to filter through all the sci-fi and weird tumblr kids that didn’t actually know anything about witches, druids or magic. “We looked through the bestiary. Nothing really matches what Derek described,” Stiles bounces his eyes away from where they had been looking at her as he said Derek’s name. The wolf didn’t even look up, the dick head.

“And?”

“And, there are really only two categories on undead creatures. Those who’s physically have been reanimated like vampires, zombies and ghouls- which by the way I’m still not completely sold on vampires being real? I mean I feel like of all the monsters we’ve come across we’d probably have seen some of those by now? Right?”

“Stiles. Focus.” Lydia says in that tone of annoyance that was actually a pretty good copy of Derek’s. The exasperation was the same but her frowny face would need some work. And a little more eyebrow if she really wished to copy that Hale trademark.

Shit. She was still staring at him expectantly. Right. Research.

“Uh, and anyways; yeah. So there’s physical bodies and then there’s corporeal bodies. Like their souls were brought back but not their bodies.”

“So… What? Ghosts?”

 “Yeah. Ghosts, Wraiths, Demons…” Those answers had come with many unwanted grotesque details that were a little much for a bestiary and not a slasher film.

“Okay, so we’re sure we’re dealing with just reanimated bodies? No demons possessing the wildlife right?” She asks but this time it’s directed at Derek.

Finally Stiles feels he can take a breath. Her sharp focus was suffocating when she wanted something. After all those years of pining over Lydia he never had stopped being horribly intimidated by her. Derek looked up from where he’d been skimming Lydia’s weird book.

“Pretty sure. One of the deer that we found attacked us on sight but was taken care of just like a regular deer. There’s no reason to assume it was any different. If it hadn’t smelled rotten, I wouldn’t have even noticed it was already dead.”

Stiles made a face at what ‘rotting deer carcass’ must smell like, and met eyes with Scott. He seemed to be thinking the same thing if his expression was anything to go by. Ew.

“Well I think the first thing we need to ask ourselves,” Deaton interrupts from where he’s been organizing his tools while they convened. The vet was off to the left side of the room, making most of the pack turn to look at him. Stiles finally pulled his eyes away from the curious book Lydia had brought to look up. Deaton’s tone was calm as always, in that condescending way that really made Stiles want to hit him if only to see a different expression on his face. It was blank as always. “Is if this another Darach.”

Without looking back at Derek, Stiles knew that he’d flinched. He could hear the book close suddenly and the air fill with a thickness that felt constricting, like a python was wrapping itself around his neck.

“Jennifer is dead.” Derek replies curtly, and though he wasn’t an alpha anymore, he can see Isaac react to the tone. The blonde twitches a little as if wanting to move closer to Derek if Stiles and Lydia weren’t standing between them.

“I’m not saying it is her.There could be another though. It happened once and it could happen again.” Deaton countered. Stiles was willing to bet Derek would be on board with his ‘let’s punch Deaton in his condescending face’ plan.

In fact, with a backwards glance, Stiles could see where Derek’s hands were curled into fists already.

“He’s got a point Derek.” Oh Scott. Oh sweet sweet, Scott. If he got himself punched by Derek from this, Stiles would let it happen. Everyone knew that the Jennifer incident was a very tender spot for Derek. If anyone had checked, double checked and triple checked that she was dead and been hypervigilant for it to happen again; it would be Derek. The glare that Derek gives Scott actually seems fairly tame to Stiles, one who has been on the receiving end of the wolf’s bad temper enough times.

“I would have known if there was. We put up wards right after it happened.” Derek replied, crossing his arms.

“What? When? You didn’t think that was something to tell me?”

“Why? You said yourself I’m not pack, Scott.” Oh shit this was going south. And they still had zombies to worry about- seriously! Zombies!

How could these guys keep overlooking that?!

“But wouldn’t you be able to feel it if another Darach was here, unbalancing nature and stuff? Isn’t that your job?” Stiles can’t help but blurt before Scott retorted some crap about trust. Obviously Derek still hadn’t forgotten when Scott had used him to kill Gerard. It would take more than an olive branch to heal those wounds.

Deaton inclines his head, not seeming to give a single fuck about prodding the tender relationship between Derek and Scott. “That is true. I’m more interested in these wards. Who helped you put them up?”

“Another pack. My- our mother was close with a pack that stays farther south from here. Satomi reached out after Jennifer was gone. Her emissary helped us put them up to repel dark magic specifically.” Deaton hummed.

“The wards must be quite strong then.”

“Satomi’s pack is very powerful and reliable.” Cora interjects now. Her scowl is one that could rival Derek’s. She never spoke much during pack meetings, and usually was more against Derek than with him. Seeing her support him made Stiles feel the corner of his mouth twitch towards a smile but he managed to stifle it down. It wasn’t that hard to do though when he accidentally met Malia’s eyes.

She looked away quickly, and Stiles would be lying if he said that didn’t make the pain in his chest tighten.

“I don’t doubt it.” Deaton placates. “I’d like to see them though, checking on them probably wouldn’t hurt either.”

Stiles bites his lip because honestly he’s never been Deaton’s biggest fan. Especially during moments like these, when he always seems to be talking down to whoever he’s with even if that person is an alpha werewolf- well... Former alpha.

Point was he didn’t like it. Something about Deaton always made Stiles nervous. Yet again, that might be because he only really saw Deaton when shit was hitting the fan. Like now- with the zombie wildlife. Seriously.

Zombies, man.

“Alright so how many of these are there to check?” Scott asks, interrupting the glaring match Derek seemed to be having with the vet who, if he noticed, Deaton certainly was doing a good job of ignoring it. They return to the matter at hand.

Lydia puts away her phone were she had been taking notes from what Stiles could tell. Nothing ever got past her, and he imagined she’d be looking into wards as soon as she had a moment to herself long enough to do it.

“Every 5 miles or so around the territory.” Derek replies.

“Every-wha- Holy shit, dude!” Stiles squawked. The preserve alone was at least 20 miles wide, not counting the rest of the damn town.

Derek raised a brow at him.  “It’s efficient. Wolves are able to hear a howl from at least, five miles.” And... well, yeah. That made sense. That didn't mean he was particularly excited about it though. 

“It’s also going to take forever to check all of these separately.” Stiles complained, but he could see the reasoning to this.

“That’s actually pretty smart.” Lydia remarks. Wait- did she just compliment Derek? Holy shit.

Even with his usual frown on, Stiles could see the way Derek’s shoulders seemed to loosen at the comment and he had no doubt that he was feeling fairly smug about that. Stiles would have a quip for that but honestly, a compliment from Lydia Martin was worthy of the smugness. Didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.

Stupid Smugwolf.

He narrowed his eyes at Derek and sighed loudly so that his feelings about how annoyed he was to waste his day checking every  ward around  town. “Alright so how many miles does the town and preserve together amount to?”

“Around a hundred or so.” Isaac says for the first time since Stiles got there. He’d almost forgot the blonde had even been there.

“Alright so that means there are about…” Scott pauses to do the math with that cute puppy tilt that always makes Stiles second guess if he’s really an all powerful alpha werewolf and not just a little werepuppy. “..twenty or so wards to check?” His eyes cut to Stiles for a moment for confirmation. He nods quickly and Scott looks over to Derek. “Do you remember where they all are? If we know what to look for we could just each pick a few and check them all tonight.”

From there they plan out how to tackle checking the wards. Apparently each ward has a talisman and if it was tampered with it would have to be destroyed. Derek marked the places where each was on a map of beacon hills, though not without a little hesitancy. This was, after all Derek. And who was Derek if not the guy with the most trust issues at this table?

“Alright. So we should be able to each check six or seven each if we go in groups of three. I don’t anyone going alone since things are acting up. Isaac, Deaton and I will take the ones to the west, closest to the subdivisions. Lydia, Derek and Cora will take the Eastern ones and Stiles and Malia you two can take the ones-”

Stiles couldn’t help the way his heart fell to his stomach at being put together with Malia. Of course Scott didn’t know, he hadn’t had time to tell him. But he couldn’t just outright say that, instead he looked to his now ex-girlfriend, they were still pack after all. They could get along long enough to do this, right? She still wouldn’t look at him.

It hurt. In all the time he’d known Malia she wasn’t the type to back away from a challenge or looking someone in the eyes. Hell, her instincts simply wouldn’t allow it. Watching the way she purposely avoided looking in his direction reminded him of the tearful look she’d given him that afternoon. It didn't make him feel any better.

“No. I want to go with Lydia.” She says firmly into the weird silence that had fallen.

Ouch. Stiles cringed, dropping his eyes back to the map and swallowing hard. He hadn’t expected them to be fine this soon. But that still stung.

“Um…” Scott looked over at Isaac with a raised brow before looking back at the former couple, separated by the steel table. “Uh… Okay…” He says it slowly like stretching out the words will compel someone to tell him what that’s about.

“That’s fine. I don’t mind her coming. Stiles and Derek can check the ones in the preserve while Me, Malia and Cora look at the ones to the East side.” Lydia cuts in.

Oh thank god. The tightness in his throat loosened a little. Being stuck with Derek was better than trying to act as if he and Malia were okay. He’d need to talk to Scott later- Stiles knew that without having to see the raised look he got when he finally met the alpha’s eyes.

“Alright, that work for everyone?” Scott asked, not looking away from Stiles. With a collective agreement they all went their separate ways. The only good thing out of being paired with Derek was that he agreed the Jeep was better off handling the uneven dirt roads in the preserve than his camaro.

oOo

Driving with Derek in the dark was a fucking nightmare.

“Stiles!” He snapped for tenth freaking time, seconds before they hit another huge pothole.

“What?! It’s not like I have fucking night vision like some people!” He snapped right back. The poor jeep kept rumbling along the dark path, even with his fog lights on it was still hard to predict the bumps and drops in the road. Between tree roots and the very-much-not-a-road-for-cars trails; it was really a miracle that he hadn’t lost a few parts off the belly of the jeep yet.

No wonder Derek had insisted on taking Stiles’ jeep, the fucker.

“Then let me drive.”

“Absolutely not!” There was no way he was letting Derek touch Roscoe's steering wheel. He hardly ever let Scott drive, let alone Derek.

“Then pay attention-” He bit off another growl of frustration when the Jeep hit another tree root. It wasn’t even that he was going fast! Jeez! These trails just weren’t designed for cars. In fact he didn’t even know these roads had been here.

Thinking about how Derek knew how these roads were here made his heart ache a little. They were all overgrown and hadn’t been used in years. But most of the preserve was private property owned by the Hales. So if he had to guess, it wasn’t too hard to figure out where they’d come from.

Another bump makes Derek hit his head on the roof and that seems to be the last straw, because when he growls for Stiles to stop the jeep he can’t help but comply. Stiles wasn’t afraid of Derek anymore, hadn’t been for a while. But he also didn’t put it past him to smash his head into the steering wheel if he didn’t listen to the glowing blue eyes from the passenger seat.

“Get. Out.” Derek snarls.

...

Excuse me?

“Uh… no? You get out. It’s my car buddy.” He glares back.

“Out.” Okay, that is definitely the sound of claws gripping his upholstery none too gently.

“Don’t you dare hurt my jeep, I swear to God, Derek! I’ll put you in a kennel.”

Another growl and Stiles sighs dramatically but makes a show of exiting the jeep. Derek isn’t far behind. They’ve only checked two of their seven talismans. Nothing seemed to be damaged yet. He was hoping that was going to be a recurring theme in their findings.

“We can walk to the next one from here.” Derek says, eyes still flaring blue when he rounded the jeep to Stiles’ side. He couldn’t help but be reminded of Malia at the sight of them, and quickly looked down at the ground. He left the jeep running, so it’s headlights gave him a bit of light in the darkness.

Now that they weren’t driving through it, he could see small signs of what Derek had been telling him about before. There were dead plants that had wilted and looked almost… sick. He couldn't help but reach out to one of the ferns beside him, it was a darker green than a healthier one sitting beside it and had a sheen of well, something, on it.

“Ew…” Stiles couldn’t help but grimace after touch it and confirming his suspicions that it seemed to rotting. Definitely slimy. He quickly wiped his hand clean on his jeans while his face contorted in disgust. Before he could take a picture of it for reference Derek was grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and pulling him back. Stiles most definitely did not jump from the sudden contact. 

“Don’t touch that.” Said Derek, clearly amused as he always was when he successfully scared the shit out of Stiles. Stupidwolf.

“Why not?” He asks, just to be petulant.

“Stiles.” Derek growls in annoyance, wearing what Stiles liked to call the 'Stiles-stop-being-an-idiot' frown. It made him a bit proud to know he could elicit such a personalized glare.

“Derek.” Stiles mocks, raising his brows. "What do you think is gonna happen? I touch one fern and then I'll die?" Actually that did seem fairly plausible. Maybe he really should refrain from touching gross things until he knew what they were.

“Sounds like something you would do.” Derek said, eyes focusing on something a little farther off the road. After a few feet, the jeep couldn’t help Stiles see anymore and all he had to rely on for his path was Derek leading the way. Hell, Stiles could barely see Derek two feet in front of him. Who wore all black when he was going into the woods at night? Or maybe that was the point- to stay unseen.

“Some of us can’t see in the dark, Derek. If I stop talking I’ll get lost- it’s like echolocation.”

“What are you, a dolphin?”

“Hey! They are the smartest mammals on the planet! I’m taking that as a compliment.” The only reason he knew that Derek had looked back at him, probably doing one of his ‘Stiles-you-are-so-stupid’ faces again, was because he could see his blue irises again for a second.

Stiles pulled out his phone, planning on using the flashlight on it when he hesitated. His background was still Malia’s smiling tired face. It had been taken one night when they’d been watching movies late. God. She was still so beautiful.

Derek must have heard his heartbeat jump, because suddenly there’s a hand on his arm, drawing his attention away from the phone. The screen fades back to black while Stiles looks up to see blue eyes watching him. “What?” He asks.

Derek doesn't say anything, just glances back down at the now locked cellphone and away. He clearly wants to say something but Stiles really hopes he can avoid this conversation.   


“It’s nothing.” Stiles really doesn’t want to talk Malia and what her smiling face did to his heartbeat. Not talking about it was definitely the plan here. The last thing he needed was to explain that no, he hadn’t seen anything scary in the creepy woods where there could potentially be evil druids or zombified animals prowling about- he was just heartbroken.

Yeah, because that didn’t sound emasculating or anything.

“Stiles...I uh." He clears his throat, back turned to Stiles now as they keep walking. "You can talk about it.” Derek says, roughly- like it physically pains him to say this. It probably does. “About you and Malia.” Like he really needed to clarify that part. 

God just hearing her name made his throat constrict.

“I’m fine. Let’s just get these wards checked. Alright?” The lie is obvious but he’s relieved when he’s not called out on it.

Derek is quiet the rest of the walk to the ward. It’s untouched. They return to the jeep and move onto the next ward. And the next, and the next and the next until there’s only two left and they’ve spent the entirety of it in silence.

Stiles is more careful driving on the roads, so it takes a bit longer than he’d expected it to. He’s been so caught up in worrying about the wards that he doesn’t notice Derek studying him. The only time he actually notices is when he stops at their next checkpoint and turns to look over at him. Only Derek is already watching him.

“What?” The hell was he looking at? Was there something on his face?

“I’m sorry.”

Wait- what the hell? “What? Why?" Stiles raises a brow at him. "Wait- is the part in the movie where you’ve taken me into the woods to kill me?”

Great now he was going to die. Today really wasn’t his day.

“Shut up, Stiles. I’m trying to be nice.” Yeah. And that was why he was suspicious. Since when did Derek Hale apologize? Even more importantly, since when did Derek Hale apologize to Stiles? Stiles kept staring, waiting for an explanation. The wolf sighed and leaned against his door to face him. “For bringing up Malia.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You haven’t said a word in over an hour. It’s creepy.” Aw. Worrywolf.

“Maybe I just don’t have anything to say.”

“You always have something to say.”

“Yeah well-” Derek was right though. They both knew it. It was true that Stiles didn’t have anything to say, though. He didn’t know how to fill the silence that had fell since Derek had brought the break up into the conversation a few wards back.

“Stiles.” His voice is soft this time, and it catches him off guard, his eyes widening a little as he meets Derek’s gaze. Since when could Derek sound like that? It was tender, like talking to a crying child. Almost… Gentle.

But this was Derek. Derek doesn’t do gentle.

Does he?

“It’s fine. Uh. It was um. Mutual. So.” He nodded awkwardly and cleared his throat. Stiles didn’t do feelings. Derek wasn’t supposed to do feelings like this- feelings was a very Scott-specific trait. He was supposed to be the only with the small smiles and gentle words. Fucking Derek was confusing him.

Derek just nods and finally lets it drop.

“Did you know there’s actually a disease called ‘Zombie Deer Disease’? It’s a Prion Disease found in the deer family.” It’s been on his mind lately but he’s fairly sure that this isn’t what they’re dealing with. It was comforting simply to ramble away the anxiety that had been building over the hour of silence he’d just endured. Derek looked curious enough- and by that he mean that Derek hadn’t told him to shut it yet. So that had to mean something.

Derek looked back to the road but didn't interrupt Stiles, so he figured that was as good a sign as any to keep going.

“Prion Disease means it’s a progressive neuro-degenerative disorder. Aka, a disorder that causes damage or death to the brain. Apparently the CDC was worried it might even spread to humans and start the the zombie apocalypse.” Derek scoffed at that and they fell into a comfortable ambiance of Stiles’ blathering and Derek humming or telling him directions.

It was actually… sort of- dare he say it-

Nice.

So. Of course that would be the moment that it all went to shit. Of course it was. Stiles was just starting on how Zombie Deer disease was linked to Mad Cow disease when Derek suddenly shushed him.

“What?” Stiles whispered, stopping the jeep at Derek’s raised hand.

“Sh.” Stiles narrowed his eyes at him and wondered for a moment if he was doing this just to mess with him. Half of him hoped Derek had suddenly developed a sense of humor, because his bat was still busted from the last time.

And then Derek got out of the jeep. As if that was a good idea to get out of the safety of the jeep when there were potential zombie bambis out here. Always a slave to his curiosity- Stiles followed, earning a fairly impressive frown from Derek as he closed the drivers door. He inched closer to the werewolf, trying to see whatever it was that had made Derek stop.

“Two heart beats. Been following us since the last talisman.” He said curtly, not looking away from the edge of the preserve. They were on the inside of where the wards protected, but Derek’s face was pointed towards the other side of the magical protections. That didn’t particularly comfort Stiles.

They were going to get mauled by zombie bambis and thumpers.

A twig snapped from behind Stiles, making him jump and turn to see nothing there. Derek growled and pushed Stiles behind him. “You should have stayed in the jeep.” He said. Stiles scoffed, and if he weren’t certain something was about to jump out he would have told Derek he shouldn’t have gotten out in the first place. He couldn’t help to feel as if they were being watched. Judging by how tense Derek was, Stiles didn’t think he was far off base with that assumption.

Another snap. This one closer. And then….

 Nothing.

 Nothing at all. There wasn’t anything coming out of the brush to eat their faces or crack open their skulls and devour their brains. Okay- so maybe he’d watched one too maybe zombie movies. He heaved a breath of relief.

“It’s probably just some non-zombied deer. Let’s go before bambi and company change their minds and eat us.” Stiles said after a full minute passed. Derek didn’t seem happy about it but let Stiles push him back to the jeep without much of a fight.

Stiles grabbed his door handle to open it and then several things suddenly happened at all once.

Something crashed through the shadows behind him. A snarl came from Derek's side of the jeep. His poor baby made an awful crunching sound. And the ground was harder than Stiles expected-

Wait- the ground? Oh. Yeah he was definitely on the ground. Something had knocked him down, and his head was telling him that the jeep might have caught part of his fall. None of that was too concerning to him though. Not as much as the snarling buck stood over him, it’s antlers rammed into the side of the jeep as it’s eyes stared down at him.

“Holy shit. Zombie Bambi!” He squawked. The deer’s body was close enough that Stiles could see where its body had decayed a little, a wound on its front right shoulder looked like it was festering. It’s face- oh god it’s breath was rancid- it’s face had part of it’s skull showing. He now knew more about what a deer skull looked like with the eyes and half the skin still attached looked like and really really hadn’t needed to.

Oh god he was gonna puke.

Luckily he wasn’t staring long before the buck was gone and he was being pulled to his feel as the world spun momentarily. “Jesus on a tricycle…” He weakly swore, letting who he hoped was Derek; judging by the claws and blue eyes- man handle him into the back seat of the jeep quickly. He all but was thrown inside.

Since when did he have stars on the ceiling of his jeep? His vision swam and Stiles had the feeling that he might have hit his head harder than he’d wanted to. Granted, he hadn’t wanted to hit his head at all- but there was definitely a degree of pain he could have been better off without.

“Derek?” He called when the snarling and the sickening sounds of bodies connecting stopped. When he didn’t get an answer he scrambled up, squinting through a headrush. “Der’k?” Stiles slurred out, cringing at how much worse that made him sound. It was a bump on the head- not a bullet wound.

“Yeah.” Came a breathless reply. The relief that came with that confirmation should be a little worrying over someone that he only until recently had admitted he didn’t want him dead; they had saved each other’s asses a few too many times now for it to be true. Stiles didn’t dwell on it. Derek deserved to have someone worry about his well-being since he wasn’t doing it himself.

The jeep door he’d been leant against trying to get out to check on Derek opened suddenly and Stiles flailed. If it weren’t for the solid wall of muscle he probably would have fallen out. “Okay?” Stiles asked, grateful the lights inside the jeep let him see Derek properly. He didn’t seem hurt or healing. His shirt was a little ripped but there wasn’t any blood so Stiles counted that as a win.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Derek replies while Stiles watches him. One moment Derek is supporting him in the doorway of the backseat the next he’s being buckled in. It should be a cause for concern, but the throbbing headache at the back of his head is making it hard to think.

Maybe he should start wearing his lacrosse gear during their pack outings. At least then he’d be slightly more prepared for potential brain damage thanks to undead Rudolph.

Warm hands are touching him now, and it’s only as the heat seeps into his cheek that Stiles realizes it got colder during their excursion to check the talismans. “Stiles.” Derek says, jostling him softly.

“Mmn. Yeah. Hit my head. Concussion. Probably.” He says but doesn’t feel like opening his eyes. It was the first time during the evening that he wished it was completely dark again. The jeep’s overhead lights made him squint his eyes in annoyance when Derek keep harassing him.

“Just your head?” Derek asks, one hand brushing the bump at the back of his head. Yeah he definitely recalls the metal of the step on the bottom of his door connecting with his head when he was knocked down by Rudolph the murderous reindeer.

“Fuck-” Stiles groaned, pulling away from the warm hands. “Don’t touch it, stupid!” Ouch. Yelling hurts.

“Yeah I bet, you should have stayed in the jeep.”

Oh. Oh are we doing this? Right now? While he was injured?

Derek was really going to blame this on him? Asswolf.

“Don’t be a dick. I’m injured.” Is what comes out instead of the arguments forming in his throbbing head. Stiles squeezes his eyes back shut again, caressing his goose egg gently and flinching. When his fingers barely touched it.

He swears he hears Derek huff out a laugh, but that might be the concussion. “We still have to check the last two." There was a silent 'Will you be okay?' attached to it that Stiles only picked up on because Derek was still watching him as if a bump on the head like this was really all it took to take Stiles down for the count. First of all- Rude. 

“Yeah. If you hurt my baby though, I will kill you.” He mutters as Derek climbs into the driver's seat; but the threat is lost when he’s buckled into the backseat like a ten year old and can’t open his eyes against the harsh like of the lights inside the jeep. Derek hums something, probably something douchebaggy that Stiles would have wanted to hit him for.

Douchewolf.

But the window of the jeep is cold and keeps him awake as they keep going. None of the talisman’s are damaged, so Derek makes quick work of it while Stiles agrees that he should stay in the jeep- though he does make the dizzying decision to move to the passenger seat while he waited for Derek on the last check.

Other than a huge ass headache though, the trip out into the preserve is a waste and leaves them with less answers than they had before.

oOo

“What happened to your head?” Scott asks when they arrive, the last of the groups. Stiles is holding a bag of ice on his throbbing head while the others are going over the map that had been marked with each of the wards.

“Bambi wanted a midnight snack.” He grumbles, feeling nothing but contempt when the alpha’s eyebrows shoot up and Deaton quietly comes over to look over the bump. It didn’t break the skin, but it sure felt like he’d cracked his head open.

“Why didn’t you call?” Scott demanded, frowning and shooting a look over at Derek. Stiles didn’t follow his eyes, mostly because if he did, he’d more than likely meet Malia’s eyes. He could feel here stare but whenever he glanced over she looked away.

“Just a bump, dude.”

“You didn’t think maybe I’d want to know zombies tried to eat my best friend?!” It was nice that Scott cared- but it was hard to feel cherish when he was trying not to groan at the loud sound.

“I love you too. I’ve gotten worse- it’s just a bump dude.” Stiles reassured but Scott just frowned, coming over and skimming his hand over the goose egg. “Ow!”

“Sorry.” Scott didn’t really sound it though, but then the throbbing stopped and a little shot of euphoria flushed through him. Stiles couldn’t help but choke out a breath of relief as Scott took the pain.

“Shit…” He gasped, closing his eyes heavily. Seriously- if there was one benefit of running with wolves, it was that they were like walking bags of morphine when it came to pulling pain. Scott offered a small smile and then went to the table to deliver their results.

None of the wards had been effected. Which either meant that it wasn’t a dark druid’s magic doing this, or they had been here since before the wards had been put up and had bided their time until now to start reanimating the dead. The latter was fairly unlikely but so was the first one.

Which meant they still had no idea what the hell was going on. In fact they now had negative one answers.

Honestly thinking was a bit too much of a chore right now, and Stiles didn’t protest when Scott brought him home. Apparently the jeep was pretty beat up, so it was agreed to leave it at Derek’s for now. Hopefully dad wouldn’t care to notice. He and Stiles were still on the rocks even after all the supernatural stuff had come out.

He must zone out for a while because the rest of the meeting is a blur and then he’s letting Melissa shine a stupidly bright light into his eyes before letting him fall asleep on her couch.

That night Stiles tries not to dream of rotting deer pinning him down and eating his face off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Let me know what you think! Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr: https://misfitmonarchythings.tumblr.com/ If you would like to come say hello!
> 
> Comment/Kudos are both super welcome!!

**Author's Note:**

> i'm [misfitmonarchythings](https://misfitmonarchythings.tumblr.com/) on tumblr


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